No. 20 Baylor VB Falls to No. 8 Texas

[Allen, Madelon]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 18, 2024

No. 20 Baylor VB Falls to No. 8 Texas
Bears can’t hold on, downed in three in Ferrell

For more information, contact: Madelon Allen; 254-252-7168, madelon_allen at baylor.edu<mailto:madelon_allen at baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – The 20th-ranked Baylor Bears and the 8th-ranked Texas Longhorns met for the 96th time in series history on Wednesday night, adding another chapter to this series that began play back in 1978.

Texas (4-3) took down Baylor (7-3) in three sets. Winning the first quickly with a score of 25-17, holding off the Bears 25-13 in the second, and coming back in the third, the Longhorns won 26-24 to close it out.

Elise McGhee led the bears in both kills and blocks, with nine and five respectively. Manuela Bibinbe tallied three blocks as well as Alicia Andrew. Lauren Briseño tallied 10 digs, both Harley Kreck and Jackie Barret Frazier had double digit assists.

The Rundown
Set 1
The first set began with some back-and-forth action. Texas struck first, but Alicia Andrew quickly responded with a kill to put the Bears on the board. Texas began to gain momentum afterwards, climbing out to a 7-4 lead, but an ace by Kendal Murphy, and a kill by Elise McGhee kept the Bears within striking distance. The momentum began to swing in Texas direction once again, as they held on to a 12-7 lead, until another kill by Andrew got the Bears back on the board. A Texas scoring run led to a Baylor timeout, as the Longhorns lead 15-8. As play resumed Texas kept their foot on the gas and climbed to a 18-9 lead before another Bear timeout. An impressive block by Manuela Bibinbe kept the Bears in the fight with a score of 20-12. As we hit set point, a Baylor scoring run sparked by a Grace Carroll block closed the gap down to 24-17, but Texas was eventually able to close out the set, winning 25-17.

Set 2
After falling in the first set, Baylor started fast and jumped to an early 2-0 lead. Texas answered fast, and quickly took the lead back. As Texas lead 4-2, Carroll got the Bears going again, bringing the score to 5-4 Texas. A pair of powerful kills by Allie Sczech and Kendal Murphy tied the set at 6-6. The intense back-and-forth action continued, and the set remained deadlocked at seven apiece. A Texas service error allowed the Bears to jump ahead once again. Baylor’s lead grew to 11-9 after an impressive kill by McGhee, but Texas continued to battle back, eventually regaining the lead for a moment. With the set tied at 12 apiece, Texas responded with a powerful kill to jump in front once again. The Texas momentum continued, and they climbed to a 16-12 lead. Another Texas service error kept the Bear’s hopes alive as they trailed 17-14. Bibinbe recorded her third kill of the night in powerful fashion, and kickstarted a Baylor run as the Texas lead was cut to just one. Bibinbe continued her strong set and tied us up with a block. Grace Carroll put the Bears on top 19-18 with another kill. The Ferrell Center was rocking as the Bears had all the momentum. The battle continued, and the margin remained razor thin. Carroll recorded her 4th kill of the evening, bringing the score to 21-21. As it seemed Baylor may be able to take the set, Texas battled back and took the second set 25-23.

Set 3
After a disappointing end to the second set, the Bears had one more chance to stay alive. The Bears started fast, and jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, fighting as their lives depended on it. As Baylor lead 5-3, Texas answered with a block to cut the lead to one. A devastating kill by Sczech kept the Bears in front. Kendal Murphy continued the Baylor momentum tallying her 4th kill of the night, giving the bears a 7-5 lead. When it seemed like the Bears had control, Texas battled back once again, cutting the lead to 1. Baylor continued to fight and grew the lead up to 11-7 with the help of a fifth Murphy kill. Texas’ suffocating defense kept them on the set, bringing the score to 12-12. Baylor’s defense matched Texas’ energy, and responded with a block of their own, bringing the score to 15-13 Baylor. A Briseño ace grew the Bears lead, making the score 18-14. Bibinbe continued to let her presence be felt as she recorded another block, allowing Baylor to jump out to a 19-15 lead. Sczech’s violent kill added to the Bears lead, and edged Baylor closer to a set victory. A pair of Longhorn service errors pushed the Bears even closer to victory, as they lead 22-18. As we’ve seen before, Texas doesn’t go down easily, and the Longhorns rallied back, eventually taking a 23-22 lead. After some good defense, Baylor jumped out to a 24-23 lead. Texas struck back, and brough it to match point, and eventually finished off the Bears 26-24.

Highlights
•              The attendance of 3126 is the 8th largest in school history.
•              Lauren Briseño had had her 70th career ace.
•              Alicia Andrew and Manuela Bibinbe each recorded 3 blocks.
•              Had a 60% side out percentage in set 2.
•              Have had 8 sets won or lost by 2 points this season.

Up Next
The Bears will attempt to bounce back at the Ferrell Center on Saturday night at 7 p.m. against Hawaii.

-BaylorBears.com-


__________________________________

Madelon Allen | Associate Director of Athletics Communications
A&T, EQ, VB, BaylorBears.com
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-252-7168

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